The present invention relates to a method of managing a storage system and its managing device, and, more particularly, the invention relates to a method of effecting transfer of constructional information between the storage system and a storage managing server.
As described in JP-A-2003-108420 (patent literature 1), a storage managing server is connected to a storage system through a LAN (local area network) to manage and control the constructional information of the storage system. The management and control of the storage system is executed by referring to this constructional information, which is received from the storage managing server, and by changing the constructional information.
There is also information which is independently updated in the storage system, such as performance information and breakdown information of the storage system, in addition to information that is set and changed from the storage managing server, such as the capacity of the storage system, setting information of a path, etc., to facilitate the control of the storage system using the storage managing server. Accordingly, the constructional information stored in the storage managing server is not necessarily the same as the constructional information of the storage system.
Therefore, it is necessary to update the constructional information stored in the storage managing server. In the technical literature 1, the constructional information sent from the storage system to the storage managing server is transferred on the basis of a constructional information obtaining request received from a storage system manager (person).
JP-A-2003-108412 (patent literature 2) discloses a technique for transferring only update information that is updated within the constructional information of the storage system from the storage system to the storage managing server in response to a change in the constructional information of the storage system.
[Patent literature 1]JP-A-2003-108420
[Patent literature 2]JP-A-2003-108412
A terminal device having a GUI (graphical user interface) is connected to the storage managing server to allow the system manager to manage and control the operation of the storage system by using the storage managing server. When the terminal device is seen from the storage system manager using the terminal device, the length of time (response time) from the transmission of a display request of the constructional information to the completion of display of predetermined desirable constructional information becomes a factor relating to the operability of the terminal device.
This factor depends on the amount of constructional information, more specifically, the amount to be updated with respect to the constructional information stored in the storage managing server. Namely, the time required for transfer time of the constructional information from the storage system to the storage managing server has an influence on the response time of the terminal device. Such a factor is not considered in the patent literature 1.
The patent literature 2 discloses a technique for transferring only the updated constructional information to the storage managing server with the generation of the update of the constructional information within the storage system as an opportunity, with the object of shortening of the transfer time. However, the constructional information also includes information momentarily changed, such as the performance information of the storage system. Such information momentarily changed is not considered in the patent literature 2. When the technique disclosed in the patent literature 2 is applied, the constructional information from the storage system to the storage managing server is continuously transferred.
A processor for transferring the constructional information within the storage system typically will also be used in another processing, and the LAN between the storage system and the storage managing server is also used in another information transfer, which deteriorates the performance of the entire system.